World Opposition to Our People as the Custodians of Jerusalem

Dear Friends,

Our discussion will
begin with a story which
is found in the book, “A
tzaddik in our time” – a
biography of Rav Aryeh
Levin by Simcha Raz (Feldheim
Publications). As we
mentioned previously,
Rav Aryeh Levin was a
beloved chareidei rabbi
of Jerusalem who devoted
his life to acts of
loving-kindness, and he
was admired by all
segments of the Jewish
population. The
following story about
Reb Aryeh, as he was
affectionately known,
took place during the
Six Day War of June,
1967:

From 1948 until 1967,
Jerusalem was a divided
city, with Jordan ruling
over East Jerusalem, and
Israel ruling over West
Jerusalem. With the
outbreak of the Six Day
War in June, 1967,
Jordan decided to attack
Israel. Jordanian forces
in East Jerusalem
attacked West Jerusalem,
but Israeli forces put
an end to the attacks by
taking control of East
Jerusalem; thus,
Jerusalem was once again
united.

The day after the
unification of
Jerusalem, two members
of Israel’s knesset
(legislature) set
out to visit the
Kosel – the Western
Wall of the Temple Mount
– which is located in
East Jerusalem. (The
Sephardic pronunciation
is Kotel.) They
felt great joy over this
opportunity, for after
Jordan conquered East
Jerusalem in 1948, Jews
were not allowed to
enter this part of the
city. As we know, the
nations of the world did
not protest against the
exclusion of Jews from
East Jerusalem and the
denial of their right to
pray at the Western
Wall.

On their way to the
Western Wall, the two
legislators decided to
visit Reb Aryeh. “Mazel
Tov,” said the two
visitors to Reb Aryeh,
“at last the Kotel
is in our hands.”
When the rejoicing among
them subsided, Reb Aryeh
commented: “Now we have
to pray for Heaven’s
mercy.” This left the
two visitors wondering
about his chareidi
caution. They asked,
“Now dear rabbi, when
everyone is celebrating
happily, you are filled
with anxiety and worry?
Why?”

Reb Aryeh then shared
with them a Torah
insight concerning the
battle that Avraham, our
father, had with the
five kings. After
Avraham defeated them,
Hashem told Avraham, “Do
not fear, I am your
shield” (Genesis 15:1).
Why did Avraham need
this assurance after his
stunning victory?

The answer, said Reb
Aryeh, is simple: After
so resounding and
astounding a triumph in
battle, Avraham was
certain that the nations
all about him would be
stirred and would
probably unite against
him to undo his victory.
This is why he needed
the Almighty’s
assurance. Reb Aryeh
pointed out that we are
in a similar situation
today. And he added:

“The nations will not
accept Israel’s victory
calmly. They will not
consent to have the holy
sites remain in our
custody. Now, like
Avraham, we need
Heaven’s assurance.”

A short time later, the
pressure on this point
by the great powers of
the world began. Later
Shumel Tamir, one of the
two visitors, noted:

“Reb Aryeh had indeed a
clearer, more sober view
in political matters
than we did. In his
instinctive reaction,
the age-old profound
wisdom of the Jew found
expression. I dearly
wish that our leaders
could see matters as he
did.”

One does not have to be
a political scientist to
realize that we face a
similar situation today.
I am not just referring
to the current
international pressure
on Israel to have
Jerusalem officially
divided again by giving
full political and
military control over
East Jerusalem to the
P.L.O. – a corrupt
organization which
refuses to recognize
Israel as a Jewish state
and which promotes
through its media and
mosques vicious forms of
anti-Jewish hatred. I am
also referring to the
fact that the
governments of most
nations, including the
government of the United
States, do not even
recognize West Jerusalem
as Israel’s capital. For
example, the current
president of the United
States, as well as
previous presidents,
refused to move the
American embassy in
Israel to West
Jerusalem, even though
foreign embassies are
usually located in a
nation’s capital.

There is another
recent example of this
negative attitude. On
the day the volcano
erupted in Iceland,
disrupting air travel
and tourism in the
United Kingdom (Great
Britain) and most of
Europe, the British
newspaper,
Independent,
revealed that the
Advertising Standard
Agency of the United
Kingdom had banned an
advertisement from
Israel’s Tourism
Ministry which promoted
travel to Israel. The
reason for the ban was
because the ad featured
a photo of the Western
Wall. According to this
agency, the photo of the
Western Wall implied
that the Wall is part of
the State of Israel, and
the British government
does not recognize
Israel’s sovereignty
over this area.
Regarding this decision,
the noted chareidi
journalist, Jonathan
Rosenblum, wrote:

“The Advertising
Standard Agency’s ruling
was but another sign of
anti-Israel attitudes
that permeate the
British official
classes. Its decision
had everything to do
with politics and
nothing to do with truth
in advertising. It is
beyond dispute that the
only way to reach the
Kotel without crossing
any borders is via
Israel, and the ad
implied nothing more.”

Jonathan added:

“No other country in
the world has any claim
to the Kotel. The
Jordanians only came
into control of the
site, which they
systematically
desecrated over the next
19 years, by overrunning
the Old City and forcing
all its Jewish
inhabitants to flee.
Jordan’s sovereignty
over the Kotel was never
recognized
internationally. If the
UK’s Advertising
Standard Agency wishes
to retroactively
recognize the Jordanian
conquest as establishing
sovereignty, it should
have no problem with the
Israeli re-conquest of
the Old City, or of the
West Bank for that
matter, in 1967.

“By focusing on the
Kotel, the symbol of
Jewish religious longing
throughout the
millennia, the
Advertising Standard
Agency tread pretty
close to outright
anti-Semitism.” (From
the article “Thinking
Jewishly” which appeared
in Mishpacha Magazine, 7
Iyar, 5770/April 21,
2010.)

I began this letter
with a story about a
beloved chareidi rabbi,
Rav Aryeh Levin, and I
will share with you a
related story about
another beloved chareidi
rabbi, Rav Israel Meir
Lau. He became the
Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi
in the Chief Rabbinate
office, an agency of the
Israeli government, and
he represented the State
of Israel in many
meetings with world
leaders. For example, in
1997, Rabbi Lau traveled
to Cairo to meet with
Egyptian President Hosni
Mubarak. At the
president’s request, he
also visited the grand
mufti of Egypt, Dr.
Mohammed Tantawi, also
known as Sheik Al Azhar,
Egypt’s most senior
religious
representative. In their
discussion, the sheik
challenged the status of
Jerusalem, and Rabbi Lau
responded to the
challenge. In the
following excerpt from
his memoirs, “Do Not
Harm the Child,” Rav Lau
describes his discussion
with the Sheik:

…………………………………

Then I asked, out of
politeness, if he would
be willing to pay me a
visit in Jerusalem. I
promised to receive him
with the same degree of
respect that he had
shown us, but his answer
was abrupt: “Only if my
passport is stamped with
the seal of a
Palestinian state. I
will not have my
passport stamped with
the seal of the State of
Israel.” I was unwilling
to let this extremist
view pass, and I pressed
him. “Here we have been
talking about friendship
and good neighborliness,
so why does the stamp
bother you? My passport
has the Egyptian stamp,
and I am proud to have
visited President Hosni
Mubarak. Every attempt
to advance peace and
understanding between us
is welcome.”

But Sheik Al Azhar did
not change his position.
In his eyes, the
Israelis had stolen
Jerusalem from the
Muslims. I could not
allow such a statement
to go unchallenged:

“I have done a little
‘homework’ on you,” I
admitted. “I know you
have a doctorate, and I
was curious about the
topic of your
dissertation. I found
out that you wrote about
Jews and Judaism in the
Koran. So I conclude
that not only do you
know Islam, but you know
about Judaism as well. I
also know something
about Judaism, but I
don’t know anything
about Islam. So please
permit me to ask, how
many times does
Jerusalem appear in the
Koran? After all, we’re
talking about the holy
city, Al Kuds. Islam’s
fundamental text must
surely make mention of
such a holy city,” I
said. The sheik gave me
a long, silent look. I
continued to press my
point: “In our Bible,
the word ‘Jerusalem,’
and its synonym ‘Zion’
appear not just once or
twice, but 821 times.
This proves the
centrality of Jerusalem
in the Jewish faith and
consciousness.”

“So tell me,” I
repeated my question.
“How many times does the
word Jerusalem appear in
the Koran?” Again the
sheik held his tongue.
“I can make a guess,” I
said, and he looked at
me in silence. “Is the
answer zero?” I asked.
Zafzaf, his deputy,
nodded his head. With
that unforgettable
affirmation, I left for
the synagogue to recite
the afternoon and
evening services with
the tiny Jewish
community of Cairo. I
had the feeling that
despite Israel’s
official peace with
Egypt, we had a long way
to go to achieve a
stable and lasting
peace, because some
people, parties and
movements still refused
to accept the existence
of the State of Israel
as a fact.

The above translated
excerpts from his moving
memoirs, “Do Not Harm
the Child,” appeared in
Jewish Action Magazine
(Summer 2007/5767).

………………………………….

As we know, our
Sacred Scriptures
discuss the future exile
and the final redemption
of our people in Zion.
Regarding our people’s
return to Jerusalem,
King David prophetically
proclaimed:

“The Builder of
Jerusalem is Hashem; He
gathers in the dispersed
of Israel.” (Psalm
147:2)

According to the
Talmud, this verse is
teaching us that Hashem
builds Jerusalem through
gathering the dispersed
of Israel (Brochos 49a).
What, however, is the
ultimate purpose of our
ingathering in
Jerusalem?

The following
perspective on the
unification of Jerusalem
during the Six Day War
can help us to remember
our true purpose in
Jerusalem: Six days
after the historic
unification of Jerusalem
was the Festival of
Shavuos – the festival
which celebrates the
giving of the Torah at
Mount Sinai. With great
fervor, over two hundred
thousand Jews made a
pilgrimage to the
Kosel on that
Shavuos. This was
probably the largest
spiritual pilgrimage of
our people in Zion since
the destruction of the
Second Temple, and
Divine Providence caused
this historic pilgrimage
to take place on the
festival which
celebrates the giving of
the Torah! This may have
been Hashem’s way of
reminding us of the
following spiritual and
universal goal of our
presence in Zion:

“For from Zion will go
forth Torah, and the
word of Hashem from
Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:3)

Our prophets gave us the
following message
regarding this spiritual
and universal goal: If
we abandon the path of
the Torah that leads to
this goal, then Hashem
will respond with a
strong wake-up call. The
current serious dangers
facing our nation may
therefore be a Divine
wake-up call to return
to the path of the Torah
and thereby fulfill our
mission in Zion. In this
spirit, we need to
remember the following
Divine message regarding
our ability to dwell in
Zion:

“Thus said Hashem, God
of all the hosts of
creation, God of Israel:
Improve your ways and
your deeds and I will
cause you to dwell in
this place.” (Jeremiah
7:3)

According to our
prophets, the spiritual
and universal goal of
our presence in Zion
will be achieved after
the birth of the
messianic age.
The nations will then
realize that Hashem
chose us to be the
custodians of Jerusalem
not just for our sake,
but for their sake, as
well.

In the meanwhile, we are
experiencing some of the
birth pangs that precede
the birth of the
messianic age. During
this period of birth
pangs, we can derive
inspiration and hope
from the Lecho Dodi
prayer which we
chant when we welcome
the arrival of the
Shabbos Queen, as this
prayer reminds us of the
future redemption and
renewal of Jerusalem.
Some of the passages in
this prayer are
addressed to Jerusalem,
and the following
excerpts, which are
based on biblical
prophecies, can serve as
examples:

“O Sanctuary of the
Divine Sovereign, Royal
City – Arise and depart
from amid the upheaval;
too long have you
dwelled in the valley of
weeping. And He will
have compassion upon
you!

“Shake off the dust –
arise! Clothe yourself
with my people – your
garments of splendor;
through the son of
Jesse, the Bethlehemite
(the Messiah). Draw near
to my soul – redeem it!

“Wake up! Wake up!
For your light has come,
rise up and shine.
Awaken, awaken, utter a
song; the glory of
Hashem is revealed upon
you.

“Feel not ashamed, be
not humiliated; why are
you downcast? Why are
you disconsolate? In you
will the afflicted of my
people find shelter, as
the city is built upon
its hilltop.

“May your oppressor
be downtrodden, and may
those who devoured you
be cast far off. Your
God will rejoice over
you, like a groom’s
rejoicing over his
bride.”

After the Shabbos
Queen has arrived, we
begin the Friday evening
service which includes
the following words:

“Blessed are You
Hashem, Who spreads the
shelter of shalom over
us, over all His people
Israel, and over
Jerusalem.”

May we be blessed
with the sweetness and
shalom of Shabbos.

Yosef Ben Shlomo
Hakohen (See below)

Related Spiritual
Teachings on the
Unification of
Jerusalem:

King David wrote: “The
built-up Jerusalem is
like a city that is
united together” (Psalm
122:3).

The following
interpretations of the
words “united together”reveal that there
are several levels of
unity in the ideal
Jerusalem:

1. Physical Unity: The
very appearance of
Jerusalem is to express
the unity of the sacred
city. The commentator,
Sforno, explains that
Jerusalem was designed
in a way that caused the
newer sections of the
city to blend perfectly
with the older sections;
thus, the entire
Jerusalem appeared as a
city whose various
sections were united.

2. Social Unity – The
Jerusalem Talmud
explains that the
pilgrimage to the Temple
in Jerusalem on the
Festivals inspired all
the people to develop a
greater commitment to
the path of the Torah;
moreover, through this
shared commitment, they
all became spiritual
chaverim – friends (Chagigah
3:6). Jerusalem
therefore became a city
where the People of
Israel were united
together, and the Talmud
cites the following
commentary of Rabbi
Yehoshua Ben Levi:

“The built-up Jerusalem
is like a city that is
united together” – a
city that causes all
Israel to become
chaverim.” (Ibid)

3. Holistic Unity –
According to our
tradition, there is a
heavenly Jerusalem which
corresponds to the
earthly Jerusalem. The
Talmud (Taanis 5a) finds
a reference to this idea
in the above verse which
describes Jerusalem as,
“a city that is united
together” – an allusion
to the joining together
of the heavenly and
earthly Jerusalem. The
commentator, Rashi, in
one of his explanations
of the above verse,
cites the following
teaching of our sages:
There is the built-up
Jerusalem in heaven, and
in the future, the
earthly Jerusalem will
be like the heavenly
Jerusalem.

The unity of Jerusalem
is the joining together
of the heavenly city
with the earthly city –
a reminder that the
spiritual and physical
aspects of our existence
are to become one. This
holistic unity will be
achieved when life in
the earthly Jerusalem
will express the sacred
and elevating spirit of
the heavenly Jerusalem.